The Irish Farmers' Association (IFA) is calling on retailers to increase the supermarket price of pigmeat to help pig farmers recover the costs of production which, the IFA says are "spiralling".

While the price of transport, electricity, gas and oil has gone up, the increase in feed costs alone has been substantial. And, according to the IFA, a cost-recovery package is now essential for the sector.

IFA pig committee chair, Roy Gallie, said that farmers have experienced a 30% rise in feed costs, to date.

"This increases the cost of growing a pig by 30c/kg alone, while at the same time the farmgate price of the pig has decreased by 45c/kg,” he said.

The reported net loss of 30c/kg equates to €27 below the cost of production of every pig, which is unsustainable, according to the pig committee chair.

"As it stands today, the average family pig farm is facing a loss of €38,000 per month, every month,” he said.

"Given the unprecedented level of losses in this current crisis, the retailers have to increase the price they pay for pigmeat and this to be passed directly back to the primary producer."